This is it, the end of my West Coast adventure.
I really feel that I have lived my dream. I enjoyed the sunny beaches, walked the Californian streets, experienced Hollywood and had a taste of what the movie industry is like. I've been to the highest point of LA and watched the lights of the city twinkle down below.
I worked in Hollywood, lived in Burbank, bought groceries in Trader Joe's and Ralphs, drove a car on the busiest highways in the country, and I loved every second of it.
I'm proud to say I know my way around this huge city, I know some of the hot spots and some of the down spots, too. I feel totally identified with this city of angels and even though I haven't lived there for that long, I already feel like a 'local'. I'm sorry to know that this will change over time.
I visited the most incredible wonders of nature in the Far West, saw canyons and deserts and oceans, I saw mountains covered in snow.
I met people of all sorts, singers, songwriters, (aspiring) actors and actresses, college students, celebrities, Native Americans, Afro Americans, Mexicans, Koreans, Indians, well, Americans in general. For a while, I was a part of this country, as a working, middle class citizen that paid taxes and worked for the weekend.
Today I say goodbye to the live I've lived and thank everyone that helped me make that dream come through.
I would also like to thank everyone in Belgium that stuck by this blog, commenting and replying to each and every post. Often, times in LA have been lonely, and you guys have kept me going.
Soon I will start a new blog, with a whole new theme, of course. I will let the world know as soon as I put it up !
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Sequoia National Park - Walking amidst the trees of Giants
The Sequoia Tree National Park is the final park of our itinerary. The park is called after the giant cypress trees that grow in this area. Nowhere else in the world can you find taller, wider and thus bigger trees. These massive wonders of nature are in average about 100 meters tall, 5 to 8 meters wide and can live up to 2000 years.
These trees only survive in this area because of the conditions that they are born in: not too dry, not too moist, not too hot, not too cold. Some actually need periodic fire for survival. Sequoias, for example, have adaptations to survive fire, and have trouble reproducing without it. Flames clear and fertilize the ground under the big trees, leaving the kind of soil in which their seeds germinate best. Not coincidentally, fire also opens sequoia cones, so that seeds rain down on this excellent seedbed. In addition, fires remove ground vegetation and forest litter that compete with the seedlings for moisture, nutrients, and sunlight.
As you walk through these woods and admire the hundreds of huge trees, you feel like a dwarf in a land of giants. It's incredible how something can grow from a tiny seed (about 5mm broad) to a 100 meter tall tree in "only" 600 years and then widen to about 9 meters during a lifespan of 2000 years.
It was a challenge to get these large trees into my picture frame. I also made two artsy pictures of the trees. One of them is a Sequoia, the other tree is a dogwood tree that only lives in the shade of these sequoia's.
These trees only survive in this area because of the conditions that they are born in: not too dry, not too moist, not too hot, not too cold. Some actually need periodic fire for survival. Sequoias, for example, have adaptations to survive fire, and have trouble reproducing without it. Flames clear and fertilize the ground under the big trees, leaving the kind of soil in which their seeds germinate best. Not coincidentally, fire also opens sequoia cones, so that seeds rain down on this excellent seedbed. In addition, fires remove ground vegetation and forest litter that compete with the seedlings for moisture, nutrients, and sunlight.
As you walk through these woods and admire the hundreds of huge trees, you feel like a dwarf in a land of giants. It's incredible how something can grow from a tiny seed (about 5mm broad) to a 100 meter tall tree in "only" 600 years and then widen to about 9 meters during a lifespan of 2000 years.
It was a challenge to get these large trees into my picture frame. I also made two artsy pictures of the trees. One of them is a Sequoia, the other tree is a dogwood tree that only lives in the shade of these sequoia's.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Yosemite National Park - incredible waterfalls
Yosemite National park is zoals Zwitserland in Europa. Het is ongeveer evengroot qua oppervlakte en heeft een even indrukwekkend landschap. Uniek aan dit park zijn de hoog uitstekende granietbergen die miljoenen jaren geleden gevormd zijn door het afbrokkelen van ijskappen, een aardplateau dat de versteende magma omhoog duwde, en natuurlijk ook de jarenlange erosie door wind en water. Het resultaat : een paradijslijk uitziende vallei waar je tenmidden van torenhoge bergen, reuzedennenbomen en grassige velden kan genieten van alweer een prachtig stuk natuur.
Als kers op de taart zijn er ook de watervallen van Yosemite (lees josemitie, met de j van joepie). Gesmolten ijs stroomt vanuit de Sierra Nevada naar de vallei van Yosemite, waar ze over de rand van deze granieten kliffen naar beneden buldert. Natuurlijk zou dit Amerika niet zijn als hier niet de hoogste waterval van Noord Amerika te vinden was. En ze is de moeite: aan de voet van deze 425 meter hoge waterval wordt je bijna weggeblazen door de kracht van de wind; het opstuivende water maakt je in een fractie van een seconde door en door nat en het geluid van het water dat vanop die hoogte op de rotsen breekt, is oorverdovend.
Deze waterval is niet de enigste die te vinden is in het park. Overal waar je kijkt schiet er helderfris water over de bergen naar beneden. Bij onze aankomst in El Portal, de toegang tot de vallei, konden we een totaaloverzicht zien van de vallei. In de verte stuiven de watervallen, afgewisseld door de uitstekende granietbergen en heldergroene bomen. Een onaards zicht bijna, als in een avonturen film waar de helden aan de start staan van een groot avontuur in een paradijslijke jungle.
Al dat water dat van de bergen naar de vallei toestroomt moet natuurlijk ergens naartoe. Je hoort dan ook voortdurend kabbelende riviertjes naar de hoofdrivier stromen.
Aan fauna heb je hier ook geen gemis. Blue birds, eekhoorntjes en chipmunks, herten en.. beren. Met zo'n drie honderd zijn ze hier nog, die Californische beren. De vuilbakken aan de visitors points zijn vernuftig afgesloten voor nieuwsgierige beren, kamperen in het park kan, altijd op eigen risico natuurlijk. De voorraad wordt dan in ijzeren kisten gestoken of hoog in de bomen gehangen.
Ik ben in feite nu ook heel dankbaar dat we die dorre, doch mooie woestijn definitief hebben achtergelaten en nu in de bergen zitten. De geur van de dennen is zalig. Je mag dan wel niet te hard snuiven, want het groene dennepollen zit zo in je neus !
Ik heb niet de mooiste foto's kunnen nemen van de grootste Yosemite waterval, want de zon stond al achter de bergen. Evengoed was het prachtig om daar te zijn ! Wil je nog meer (en echt wel heel mooie foto's) zien van dit park, klik dan even door:
Klik hier.
Als kers op de taart zijn er ook de watervallen van Yosemite (lees josemitie, met de j van joepie). Gesmolten ijs stroomt vanuit de Sierra Nevada naar de vallei van Yosemite, waar ze over de rand van deze granieten kliffen naar beneden buldert. Natuurlijk zou dit Amerika niet zijn als hier niet de hoogste waterval van Noord Amerika te vinden was. En ze is de moeite: aan de voet van deze 425 meter hoge waterval wordt je bijna weggeblazen door de kracht van de wind; het opstuivende water maakt je in een fractie van een seconde door en door nat en het geluid van het water dat vanop die hoogte op de rotsen breekt, is oorverdovend.
Deze waterval is niet de enigste die te vinden is in het park. Overal waar je kijkt schiet er helderfris water over de bergen naar beneden. Bij onze aankomst in El Portal, de toegang tot de vallei, konden we een totaaloverzicht zien van de vallei. In de verte stuiven de watervallen, afgewisseld door de uitstekende granietbergen en heldergroene bomen. Een onaards zicht bijna, als in een avonturen film waar de helden aan de start staan van een groot avontuur in een paradijslijke jungle.
Al dat water dat van de bergen naar de vallei toestroomt moet natuurlijk ergens naartoe. Je hoort dan ook voortdurend kabbelende riviertjes naar de hoofdrivier stromen.
Aan fauna heb je hier ook geen gemis. Blue birds, eekhoorntjes en chipmunks, herten en.. beren. Met zo'n drie honderd zijn ze hier nog, die Californische beren. De vuilbakken aan de visitors points zijn vernuftig afgesloten voor nieuwsgierige beren, kamperen in het park kan, altijd op eigen risico natuurlijk. De voorraad wordt dan in ijzeren kisten gestoken of hoog in de bomen gehangen.
Ik ben in feite nu ook heel dankbaar dat we die dorre, doch mooie woestijn definitief hebben achtergelaten en nu in de bergen zitten. De geur van de dennen is zalig. Je mag dan wel niet te hard snuiven, want het groene dennepollen zit zo in je neus !
Ik heb niet de mooiste foto's kunnen nemen van de grootste Yosemite waterval, want de zon stond al achter de bergen. Evengoed was het prachtig om daar te zijn ! Wil je nog meer (en echt wel heel mooie foto's) zien van dit park, klik dan even door:
Klik hier.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Discovering the real Far West - Bodie Ghost town & Jamestown
In the mid 1800's, thanks to the discovery of gold in the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, Bodie became a booming town with more than 8000 people. As a bustling gold mining center, Bodie had the amenities of larger towns, including two banks, a China town and a large Red light district, railroad, several newspapers, and a jail. At its peak, 65 saloons lined Main Street, which was a mile long. Murders, shootouts and stagecoach holdups were regular occurrences. This was the real Far West.
But then, since there was no more gold to find, people just left everything behind. A fire destroyed most of the buildings, but there are still a lot of them standing today. This is what they call a Ghost Town in the US. It's not exactly haunted (well, maybe..), it's just deserted.
From Highway 193 a paved road leads up the slope until it suddenly turns into a dirt road.. this place is so deserted that the state doesn't even bother paving the road anymore. What lies ahead are the remnants of once a bustling town. Wooden houses, all of them in arrested decay, standing here and there in a small part of the town. The old mining center looks out from up the hill.
Walking through these buildings is kinda creepy, too.. You hear flies everywhere, ravens are crowing, the wind is blowing loudly, making the wood of the buildings squeak.
It seems that some houses were left behind in a hurry: the furniture is still there, so are the kitchen tools. There are two saloons with a pool table and a bar. The school is still intact, with benches and craft work made by the town's children. Some houses are nothing more than ruins, others are well preserved. The church for instance is amazing, walking in it feels like being time-warped into the 19th century Old West. There's even a morgue with coffins on display.
You wonder how these peoples lives were like in those days. Getting up at the crack of down, climbing down deep shafts into the mine to dig up gold. Getting a beer at one of the many saloons, getting killed for a nickel and dime.
In the early 1900's, Bodie was completely deserted and turned into a California state park.
Unfortunately, the pass to the West Entrance of Yosemite was still closed. There was a lot of snow on the mountains. So we had to drive all the way North to another pass that would take us through the high peaks of the Sierra Nevada. I'm telling you, this was another amazing place. We saw snow, about 5 meters thick, hanging along the cleared roads. And it wasn't even cold up there ! You could hear the snow melting slowly, crystal clear water running downhill everywhere, and the sky was as blue as blue can be. :-)
It took us about 2 hours of driving down winding roads in the Sierra Nevada before we finally reached Jamestown, a charming colonial town that's on Route 49, the famous gold rush route. You can still buy gold pans and set out on an adventure to go look for gold in the rivers that come from the mountains, but I doubt you'll find much.
I do hope I will get some sleep tonight. Last night Mom and Ton were snoring away and even my ear plugs didn't help.
Tomorrow we're driving through beautiful Yosemite National Park, home of the highest waterfall. :-) More pictures to come !
Enjoy today's slide show :
But then, since there was no more gold to find, people just left everything behind. A fire destroyed most of the buildings, but there are still a lot of them standing today. This is what they call a Ghost Town in the US. It's not exactly haunted (well, maybe..), it's just deserted.
From Highway 193 a paved road leads up the slope until it suddenly turns into a dirt road.. this place is so deserted that the state doesn't even bother paving the road anymore. What lies ahead are the remnants of once a bustling town. Wooden houses, all of them in arrested decay, standing here and there in a small part of the town. The old mining center looks out from up the hill.
Walking through these buildings is kinda creepy, too.. You hear flies everywhere, ravens are crowing, the wind is blowing loudly, making the wood of the buildings squeak.
It seems that some houses were left behind in a hurry: the furniture is still there, so are the kitchen tools. There are two saloons with a pool table and a bar. The school is still intact, with benches and craft work made by the town's children. Some houses are nothing more than ruins, others are well preserved. The church for instance is amazing, walking in it feels like being time-warped into the 19th century Old West. There's even a morgue with coffins on display.
You wonder how these peoples lives were like in those days. Getting up at the crack of down, climbing down deep shafts into the mine to dig up gold. Getting a beer at one of the many saloons, getting killed for a nickel and dime.
In the early 1900's, Bodie was completely deserted and turned into a California state park.
Unfortunately, the pass to the West Entrance of Yosemite was still closed. There was a lot of snow on the mountains. So we had to drive all the way North to another pass that would take us through the high peaks of the Sierra Nevada. I'm telling you, this was another amazing place. We saw snow, about 5 meters thick, hanging along the cleared roads. And it wasn't even cold up there ! You could hear the snow melting slowly, crystal clear water running downhill everywhere, and the sky was as blue as blue can be. :-)
It took us about 2 hours of driving down winding roads in the Sierra Nevada before we finally reached Jamestown, a charming colonial town that's on Route 49, the famous gold rush route. You can still buy gold pans and set out on an adventure to go look for gold in the rivers that come from the mountains, but I doubt you'll find much.
I do hope I will get some sleep tonight. Last night Mom and Ton were snoring away and even my ear plugs didn't help.
Tomorrow we're driving through beautiful Yosemite National Park, home of the highest waterfall. :-) More pictures to come !
Enjoy today's slide show :
Thursday, May 15, 2008
From Desert to the Snowy Mountains
So one trip to Hoover Dam, the biggest dam in the world (more pictures in the slide show below),
three days of Vegas,
one very ugly happy hour,
and an amazing water fountain show at the Bellagio (one of the many beautiful shows in Vegas) (click here to see the video ! )
and we have closed the Vegas chapter of this journey.
Today, we set out for Mammoth Lakes in California. (yay, my 'home' state !)
The road up there leads us through scorching Death Valley, where you can find the lowest point below sea level in North America. Temperatures can easily rise up to 130 F in the summer (about 50 C - in the shade!).
Luckily, today we will only get temps in the 100's, which is about 41 C in the shade.
Even though this is another piece of desert, the view is unique and spectacular. The colors of the rocks are incredible. Take a look at the first set of pictures of Death Valley National Park in the slide show. There is one place where I have walked in sand dunes and I thought; "this is what walking in the Egyptian Desert must feel like". In the distance, I saw twirls of sand rising in the air.. magical !
It made me wonder how Native Americans and the first settlers even survived in this area. Stories are told in the local museums about water vaporized because of the heat, animal meat all dried up to the bone, and people dying of heat exhaustion. Yuk.
A very steep climb out of Death Valley (From 200 feet below sea level to 4000 feet above SL was pretty tough on our car engine) and we're heading towards the Sierra Nevada, a snowy Mountain Range that became the back drop for many Western Movies. In Lone Pine, we take the scenic movie road where we find the setting for "How the west was won", "Rawhide" and even the "Sound of Music". Coincidentally, today they were also shooting a commercial for the new Lancia Model. Yes, I have pictures !
These funny looking rocks you see in front of the Sierra Nevada are called the Alabama rocks. It's like you're walking on a different planet right there.
After our stop in Lone Pine, we drive our final 90 miles to Mammoth Lakes, the town of Mammoth Mountain. Yes, we've left the desert far behind us now and are enjoying the cool air at 7000 feet.
It's amazing how much we see in one day. This morning we drove through the hottest, driest and lowest point in the US. Tonight, we're standing in front of a mountain top covered in snow, having a cozy sweater on and enjoying the smell of wood.
How I love this country.
three days of Vegas,
one very ugly happy hour,
and an amazing water fountain show at the Bellagio (one of the many beautiful shows in Vegas) (click here to see the video ! )
and we have closed the Vegas chapter of this journey.
Today, we set out for Mammoth Lakes in California. (yay, my 'home' state !)
The road up there leads us through scorching Death Valley, where you can find the lowest point below sea level in North America. Temperatures can easily rise up to 130 F in the summer (about 50 C - in the shade!).
Luckily, today we will only get temps in the 100's, which is about 41 C in the shade.
Even though this is another piece of desert, the view is unique and spectacular. The colors of the rocks are incredible. Take a look at the first set of pictures of Death Valley National Park in the slide show. There is one place where I have walked in sand dunes and I thought; "this is what walking in the Egyptian Desert must feel like". In the distance, I saw twirls of sand rising in the air.. magical !
It made me wonder how Native Americans and the first settlers even survived in this area. Stories are told in the local museums about water vaporized because of the heat, animal meat all dried up to the bone, and people dying of heat exhaustion. Yuk.
A very steep climb out of Death Valley (From 200 feet below sea level to 4000 feet above SL was pretty tough on our car engine) and we're heading towards the Sierra Nevada, a snowy Mountain Range that became the back drop for many Western Movies. In Lone Pine, we take the scenic movie road where we find the setting for "How the west was won", "Rawhide" and even the "Sound of Music". Coincidentally, today they were also shooting a commercial for the new Lancia Model. Yes, I have pictures !
These funny looking rocks you see in front of the Sierra Nevada are called the Alabama rocks. It's like you're walking on a different planet right there.
After our stop in Lone Pine, we drive our final 90 miles to Mammoth Lakes, the town of Mammoth Mountain. Yes, we've left the desert far behind us now and are enjoying the cool air at 7000 feet.
It's amazing how much we see in one day. This morning we drove through the hottest, driest and lowest point in the US. Tonight, we're standing in front of a mountain top covered in snow, having a cozy sweater on and enjoying the smell of wood.
How I love this country.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Las Vegas - a place to have fun
This city has a lot to offer : casino's, shows, shopping, nightlife and of course the beautiful Las Vegas Strip, a long boulevard with millions of lights. You can visit the world here : NY, Paris, Venice, Rome, Egypt .. You can have fun in Pirate style, go to the Circus, you can become a King or Queen in the castle of Excalibur.
I've been to Vegas a few months ago and already took many pictures :
These casino's are huge. You can walk in them for hours. The only purpose of these Hotel-Casino's is to lure people in and have them spend their money. This, of course, is not the most noble cause, but this is no place for holiness: this is a place for business, decadency and indulgence.
As we're staying here for three days, I'm giving myself some time off from everything. Ton and Mom are exploring the city on their own, at night we meet up to go for dinner and this Tuesday night me and Mom are going to ride the roller coaster that runs right through the NY NY hotel.
I've been to the movie theater yesterday afternoon and saw an awesome movie : Speed Racer. It's directed by the Wachowski Brothers, the same brothers that directed the Matrix trilogy, so you can expect some crazy film techniques.. the story itself is not the most mature plot, but the way the story is told is absolutely thrilling. It's been a long time that I sat on the edge of my seat watching a movie. GO SEE IT ! Even if you don't like car racing. Here's a trailer:
I've been to Vegas a few months ago and already took many pictures :
These casino's are huge. You can walk in them for hours. The only purpose of these Hotel-Casino's is to lure people in and have them spend their money. This, of course, is not the most noble cause, but this is no place for holiness: this is a place for business, decadency and indulgence.
As we're staying here for three days, I'm giving myself some time off from everything. Ton and Mom are exploring the city on their own, at night we meet up to go for dinner and this Tuesday night me and Mom are going to ride the roller coaster that runs right through the NY NY hotel.
I've been to the movie theater yesterday afternoon and saw an awesome movie : Speed Racer. It's directed by the Wachowski Brothers, the same brothers that directed the Matrix trilogy, so you can expect some crazy film techniques.. the story itself is not the most mature plot, but the way the story is told is absolutely thrilling. It's been a long time that I sat on the edge of my seat watching a movie. GO SEE IT ! Even if you don't like car racing. Here's a trailer:
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon -day 12
I have been eating Subway sandwiches for the last three days, only because we're in the middle of nowhere and when we finally do come across a town, we can only choose between hamburgers, pizza's, steak or.. subway. Luckily, their subs aren't too bad. I always take dark wheat bread, a lean meat, cheese, lots of veggies and yes, ranch sauce or honey mustard to top it off. They now have a promotion going on: foot long subs (12cm) for only 5 dollars. No hamburger place can beat that price.
Anyways. It seems like the state of Utah and Arizona have millions of acres of protected national parks. Today, on our way to Bryce Canyon national park. we also crossed the Capitol Reef National Park. A beautiful canyon inhabited by Indians. After the European invasion of Northern America, Mormons also settled in this area. You can still visit the old Mormon town and visit the school, which is nothing more than a tiny log cabin with 8 benches and a teacher's desk. It seems that education has always been very important to the Mormon pioneers.
We passed Cow Dung street - really, that is one of the town's street names - and stopped at the Bridge Trail, a 1.5 mile trail that leads through the red canyons to a rock bridge. You never get tired of these rock formations. It's incredible:
(click on this picture and choose to see the slide show until you see the bryce canyon sign)
It's also incredible to see thousands of cows, sheep and horses galloping through these endless plains. Sometimes you don't see any ranches or sign of human life for miles (at one point we hit a sign that said "No services for the next 100 miles (160 km!) which means "You're going to be on your own from here on out"), and still there they hare, grazing the little grass there is, happily and worry-free.
Even more stunning was the discovery of the moon. Well, not really the moon itself. but we drove through a landscape that could easily be mistaken for the moon. Gray rocks as far as you can see. beautifully shaped hills and craters.. if the US moon landing WAS a fake, this has surely been the setting for the video recording. Take a look at these pictures (click on the image below and then click the forward arrow about 4 times) :
A 100 miles to go before we see Bryce canyon. We drive over a mountain top and see patches of snow scattered in the woods. A time to stop and play in the snow. Unbelievable but true, we've been driving through the desert and vast rocky plains for days and now we're throwing snow balls at each other.
We also stop at ranch to take pictures of the cows, and see two (what we believe to be) eagles flying above our heads. Sally, if you read this, take a look at the pictures and let me know what kind of birds we've seen !
And then, finally, after a VERY long drive through the mountains, we reach the entrance point of Bryce Canyon, my favorite canyon. We make a quick stop at a small cowboy street where they sell all different kinds of unique stones. They also have ice cream so after devouring a big scoop of vanilla we drive into the National Park. The sun is already setting by the time we stop at the first view point. This canyon is amazing. Not so much a canyon in fact, but it looks more like a valley full of cathedral rocks. Words can't describe what I've seen, you just have to look for yourself. Here's the complete slide show for today, including the Cathedral Rocks of Bryce Canyon National Park:
In the end, I hiked down to the 'foot' of a few of these cathedral rocks. From there I had an amazing experience. The sun had already set but it wasn't dark down there at all. In fact a red glow shone from the rocks and lit up the deep canyon where I was walking. It was getting chilly, but it was quite comfortable because I was hiking down this steep slope into the canyon. When I looked up to the sky, all I could see where these giant cathedral rocks looming over me. Yes, at one point you do think "what if these suddenly fall on top of you?" but for all I cared, this was the perfect place to be, dead or alive :-).
Of course, the battery of my camera gave up on me right there and then. I don't know if it was the cold or the fact that I took about 400 pictures the last few days (uhum), but it totally sucked not being able to take pictures of it. On the other hand, it forced me to enjoy that special moment even more.. I felt totally connected with these soft stone rocks, I didn't feel threatened by them at all. In fact, I even felt protected by them. I did get to hike back up and take Mom's camera to record a little movie. It's not the place where I was standing (at the bottom) but you still get a feel of how it must be like to stand in the middle of these Cathedral rocks.
Click here.
Right now, I'm sitting in my bed at Cedar city, our last stop in the state of Utah. We're taking a break from the National parks for a few days and are getting ready to explore Las Vegas. But before we're heading into America's playground, we're staying at Boulder City, Nevada, from where we will visit the biggest dam in the world : Hoover Dam.
Anyways. It seems like the state of Utah and Arizona have millions of acres of protected national parks. Today, on our way to Bryce Canyon national park. we also crossed the Capitol Reef National Park. A beautiful canyon inhabited by Indians. After the European invasion of Northern America, Mormons also settled in this area. You can still visit the old Mormon town and visit the school, which is nothing more than a tiny log cabin with 8 benches and a teacher's desk. It seems that education has always been very important to the Mormon pioneers.
We passed Cow Dung street - really, that is one of the town's street names - and stopped at the Bridge Trail, a 1.5 mile trail that leads through the red canyons to a rock bridge. You never get tired of these rock formations. It's incredible:
(click on this picture and choose to see the slide show until you see the bryce canyon sign)
It's also incredible to see thousands of cows, sheep and horses galloping through these endless plains. Sometimes you don't see any ranches or sign of human life for miles (at one point we hit a sign that said "No services for the next 100 miles (160 km!) which means "You're going to be on your own from here on out"), and still there they hare, grazing the little grass there is, happily and worry-free.
Even more stunning was the discovery of the moon. Well, not really the moon itself. but we drove through a landscape that could easily be mistaken for the moon. Gray rocks as far as you can see. beautifully shaped hills and craters.. if the US moon landing WAS a fake, this has surely been the setting for the video recording. Take a look at these pictures (click on the image below and then click the forward arrow about 4 times) :
A 100 miles to go before we see Bryce canyon. We drive over a mountain top and see patches of snow scattered in the woods. A time to stop and play in the snow. Unbelievable but true, we've been driving through the desert and vast rocky plains for days and now we're throwing snow balls at each other.
We also stop at ranch to take pictures of the cows, and see two (what we believe to be) eagles flying above our heads. Sally, if you read this, take a look at the pictures and let me know what kind of birds we've seen !
And then, finally, after a VERY long drive through the mountains, we reach the entrance point of Bryce Canyon, my favorite canyon. We make a quick stop at a small cowboy street where they sell all different kinds of unique stones. They also have ice cream so after devouring a big scoop of vanilla we drive into the National Park. The sun is already setting by the time we stop at the first view point. This canyon is amazing. Not so much a canyon in fact, but it looks more like a valley full of cathedral rocks. Words can't describe what I've seen, you just have to look for yourself. Here's the complete slide show for today, including the Cathedral Rocks of Bryce Canyon National Park:
In the end, I hiked down to the 'foot' of a few of these cathedral rocks. From there I had an amazing experience. The sun had already set but it wasn't dark down there at all. In fact a red glow shone from the rocks and lit up the deep canyon where I was walking. It was getting chilly, but it was quite comfortable because I was hiking down this steep slope into the canyon. When I looked up to the sky, all I could see where these giant cathedral rocks looming over me. Yes, at one point you do think "what if these suddenly fall on top of you?" but for all I cared, this was the perfect place to be, dead or alive :-).
Of course, the battery of my camera gave up on me right there and then. I don't know if it was the cold or the fact that I took about 400 pictures the last few days (uhum), but it totally sucked not being able to take pictures of it. On the other hand, it forced me to enjoy that special moment even more.. I felt totally connected with these soft stone rocks, I didn't feel threatened by them at all. In fact, I even felt protected by them. I did get to hike back up and take Mom's camera to record a little movie. It's not the place where I was standing (at the bottom) but you still get a feel of how it must be like to stand in the middle of these Cathedral rocks.
Click here.
Right now, I'm sitting in my bed at Cedar city, our last stop in the state of Utah. We're taking a break from the National parks for a few days and are getting ready to explore Las Vegas. But before we're heading into America's playground, we're staying at Boulder City, Nevada, from where we will visit the biggest dam in the world : Hoover Dam.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Native Indian lands - arches and red rocks - Day 11
A lot of driving again today but it was well worth it. We left Page, Arizona and followed Route 163 to Monument Valley. This is one of the few historic national parks that is not managed by the federal government. In fact, these magnificent rock pillars are protected by the Navajo Indians.
The road to Monument Valley runs through the Navajo Indian reservation, a territory that is larger than Belgium. From the distance, we already see the red rock peaks and table mountains famous from many Western and Hollywood movies. (such as Once upon a time in the West, A Space Odyssey, Back to the Future, etc).
At the Arizona-Utah state border, we meet Ruth, a friendly Native American woman who offers her handcrafted jewelry for sale. As she points out a little house standing between green shrubs and the red rock peaks, she tells us a story about how she was born in this Valley. "That is my house." she says, with a typical thick Native accent, "That's where I was born and that's where I will grow old with my husband." Then she holds out a dozen of necklaces. "This is what I do to make a living." Of course, now my Mom just can't resist buying one. :-)
In this area, you see Native Americans everywhere. From the gas station shop to a local Burger King. It seems like they have adjusted, or at least grown accustom, to American culture. Still, it is clear that they live at their own pace, in their own way.
As we drive through the reservation, we see many free standing, shabby looking houses. There are no back yards on these lots, instead, lots of junk and old big pick up trucks are scattered in their land. Here and there, dream catchers play with the wind or deer antlers are placed on the roof.
From the Indian reservation, we take Highway 191 through the towns of Bluff and Blanding. Not much to see here, except for a dinosaur museum, motels, steakhouses and gas stations. I wonder what these town people do for a living.
The drive up to Moab, the entrance point of the Arches National park, is stunning. We see a lot of different things: beautifully shaped red rock formations, vast fields with cows and sheep, mountain ranges covered in snow (the beginning of the Rocky Mountains) and of course stretches of desert. We never get bored, even though we spend so many hours driving.
After 5 hours, we reach the entrance to the Arches National Park. These rocks are absolutely amazing. I know, rocks again, but they look like they're from another world. These rocks are known for their arch formations. Millions of years of wind erosion has caused these rocks to transform into wonders of nature. Too bad we had a cloudy afternoon sky. The pictures turned out OK, but with a blue sky, this park must be even more impressive.
At 8PM, we arrive at Green River. We enter Main street and discover that this is about the only street in this town. It's also where our motel 6 for the night is : East Main street. The only thing we need is dinner and a bed. So we check in, get some food at the local diner and are ready to hit the hay.
We will need our sleep. We're driving to Cedar City tomorrow, but will make a stop at another incredible canyon: Bryce Canyon.
I took A LOT of pictures today. Hope you'll enjoy them. Oh, I also noticed my lens was kinda dirty. I cleaned it today so the next set of pic's should turn out spotless.
The road to Monument Valley runs through the Navajo Indian reservation, a territory that is larger than Belgium. From the distance, we already see the red rock peaks and table mountains famous from many Western and Hollywood movies. (such as Once upon a time in the West, A Space Odyssey, Back to the Future, etc).
At the Arizona-Utah state border, we meet Ruth, a friendly Native American woman who offers her handcrafted jewelry for sale. As she points out a little house standing between green shrubs and the red rock peaks, she tells us a story about how she was born in this Valley. "That is my house." she says, with a typical thick Native accent, "That's where I was born and that's where I will grow old with my husband." Then she holds out a dozen of necklaces. "This is what I do to make a living." Of course, now my Mom just can't resist buying one. :-)
In this area, you see Native Americans everywhere. From the gas station shop to a local Burger King. It seems like they have adjusted, or at least grown accustom, to American culture. Still, it is clear that they live at their own pace, in their own way.
As we drive through the reservation, we see many free standing, shabby looking houses. There are no back yards on these lots, instead, lots of junk and old big pick up trucks are scattered in their land. Here and there, dream catchers play with the wind or deer antlers are placed on the roof.
From the Indian reservation, we take Highway 191 through the towns of Bluff and Blanding. Not much to see here, except for a dinosaur museum, motels, steakhouses and gas stations. I wonder what these town people do for a living.
The drive up to Moab, the entrance point of the Arches National park, is stunning. We see a lot of different things: beautifully shaped red rock formations, vast fields with cows and sheep, mountain ranges covered in snow (the beginning of the Rocky Mountains) and of course stretches of desert. We never get bored, even though we spend so many hours driving.
After 5 hours, we reach the entrance to the Arches National Park. These rocks are absolutely amazing. I know, rocks again, but they look like they're from another world. These rocks are known for their arch formations. Millions of years of wind erosion has caused these rocks to transform into wonders of nature. Too bad we had a cloudy afternoon sky. The pictures turned out OK, but with a blue sky, this park must be even more impressive.
At 8PM, we arrive at Green River. We enter Main street and discover that this is about the only street in this town. It's also where our motel 6 for the night is : East Main street. The only thing we need is dinner and a bed. So we check in, get some food at the local diner and are ready to hit the hay.
We will need our sleep. We're driving to Cedar City tomorrow, but will make a stop at another incredible canyon: Bryce Canyon.
I took A LOT of pictures today. Hope you'll enjoy them. Oh, I also noticed my lens was kinda dirty. I cleaned it today so the next set of pic's should turn out spotless.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Painted lands to Lake Powell - magical colors - Day 10
We left the town of Flagstaff, Arizona, bright and early this morning. Only 130 miles ahead of us today. Our destination: Page, a little town founded in 1957 (!) near Lake Powell.
Little did we know the scenery was going to change so dramatically. In Flagstaff, the mountains were overgrown with trees. Then, only 30 miles farther, there were no trees in sight. All that was left were shrubs and grass. Horses and cows were running through the fields and we saw enormous ranches. We were driving through the prairie !
Again, about 30 miles farther, the prairie changed into a vast desert. The Navajo plains, home of the Navajo Indian tribes. This is the beginning of the Painted Desert. It's called like this because this part of the desert has so many colors. Red, gray, pink, deep brown and white.. all mixed together. In one direction you can see big gray rocks, accompanied by huge reddish rocks. The sun breaking through the clouds makes the desert even more beautiful.
Also, the weather changes continuously here. We can start the day with sunshine, and it will be raining 1 hour later, to be sunny again only 10 minutes after. Nice.
At one point, on our right hand side, we reach what seems to be a steep ridge of red rocks. And it goes on for miles and miles. Incredible. Until the road finally climbs this ridge and we cross it into the valley of Lake Powell.
Here are some pictures of today's drive:
Lake Powell is a man made lake that is proof of a tamed Colorado River. Up North, the Hoover Dam (the biggest dam in the world) obstructs tens of thousands of gallons of water to gain electric power. From there, the Colorado streams south through Glen Canyon. The Glen Canyon Dam is the Southern border of this long canyon. This is where we are now. This is also the beginning point of the Grand Canyon. It deepens from here and ends 300 miles farther in the West. Speaking of Grandeur.
To me, this part of the country represents the typical Far West. You can easily imagine Woody Woodpecker and the coyote running through this rocky area. The Red rocks, eroded over millions of years by the force of the Colorado River and the wind, is absolutely magnificent. N0 - Mind blowing. NO - indescribable.
See for yourself :
A moment to recapitulate : we drove from Flagstaff, AZ through the Painted Desert to Page, AZ and visited Lake Powell and the entrance point of the Glen Canyon.
Tomorrow is a huge driving day. About 7 hours of driving, through the famous Monument Valley and the Arches national park. Finally something I haven't seen before !
Little did we know the scenery was going to change so dramatically. In Flagstaff, the mountains were overgrown with trees. Then, only 30 miles farther, there were no trees in sight. All that was left were shrubs and grass. Horses and cows were running through the fields and we saw enormous ranches. We were driving through the prairie !
Again, about 30 miles farther, the prairie changed into a vast desert. The Navajo plains, home of the Navajo Indian tribes. This is the beginning of the Painted Desert. It's called like this because this part of the desert has so many colors. Red, gray, pink, deep brown and white.. all mixed together. In one direction you can see big gray rocks, accompanied by huge reddish rocks. The sun breaking through the clouds makes the desert even more beautiful.
Also, the weather changes continuously here. We can start the day with sunshine, and it will be raining 1 hour later, to be sunny again only 10 minutes after. Nice.
At one point, on our right hand side, we reach what seems to be a steep ridge of red rocks. And it goes on for miles and miles. Incredible. Until the road finally climbs this ridge and we cross it into the valley of Lake Powell.
Here are some pictures of today's drive:
Lake Powell is a man made lake that is proof of a tamed Colorado River. Up North, the Hoover Dam (the biggest dam in the world) obstructs tens of thousands of gallons of water to gain electric power. From there, the Colorado streams south through Glen Canyon. The Glen Canyon Dam is the Southern border of this long canyon. This is where we are now. This is also the beginning point of the Grand Canyon. It deepens from here and ends 300 miles farther in the West. Speaking of Grandeur.
To me, this part of the country represents the typical Far West. You can easily imagine Woody Woodpecker and the coyote running through this rocky area. The Red rocks, eroded over millions of years by the force of the Colorado River and the wind, is absolutely magnificent. N0 - Mind blowing. NO - indescribable.
See for yourself :
A moment to recapitulate : we drove from Flagstaff, AZ through the Painted Desert to Page, AZ and visited Lake Powell and the entrance point of the Glen Canyon.
Tomorrow is a huge driving day. About 7 hours of driving, through the famous Monument Valley and the Arches national park. Finally something I haven't seen before !
Grand Canyon National Park
I'm not in the mood to write a blog about this park: I took about 140 beautiful pictures and when I imported them to my computer they all got lost. I'm pissed. I really made an effort to take the best pictures ever.
It wasn't easy cause this canyon is so vast, so big and we humans are so tiny, that it seems impossible to catch the whole canyon in your frame. It is 400 kilometers long, 16 kilometers wide and about 1500 meters deep. Can you imagine such a huge wonder of nature ? If not, try imagining it with the pictures that my Mom took. The colors of the canyon are even more beautiful in real life..
I selected the best ones for you :
It wasn't easy cause this canyon is so vast, so big and we humans are so tiny, that it seems impossible to catch the whole canyon in your frame. It is 400 kilometers long, 16 kilometers wide and about 1500 meters deep. Can you imagine such a huge wonder of nature ? If not, try imagining it with the pictures that my Mom took. The colors of the canyon are even more beautiful in real life..
I selected the best ones for you :
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
From Desert to Canyonlands - a 360 mile drive
We're heading for the Grand Canyon today. The GPS leads us via back roads and shortcut highways.
As we make our way through the vast desert, all we see are shrubs, rocks and the road ahead of us. It is beautiful and daunting at the same time - this truly is an endless road.
It's even sort of scary once you can't see anyone else driving on the same road as you and there's no one around for miles and miles.. what a difference compared to LA !
I can't help but wonder.. what if one of our tires goes flat ? Or the engine overheats and we're stranded in the middle of nowhere. No cell phone reception (T-mobile sucks btw), no car in sight, no towing service nearby. I'm actually glad I decided not to drive the '94 Plymouth from West to East.
Once we drive out of the Coachella Valley and leave the desert plains are behind us, we see more greenery popping out of the ground. What are those things again ? Oh right, trees !
These lands are abundant in farms and little towns that have nothing more than a saloon, a church, a grocery store and some houses. We even see some people walking around. Real hill-billies, wearing Stetson hats, cowboy boots and lumberjack shirts. Pick up trucks seem to be getting bigger and bolder with every town. Dirtier too.
In the distance, dark gray clouds float over the plains. It's an amazing thing when you're able to see rain falling from afar. A rainy mist, curling like a curtain, covering the distant horizon. Here and there, streaks of sunlight break through the clouds.
The last 50 miles are always the hardest. At this point, my foot lays heavy on the pedal: we're doing 85 where the speed limit posts 75. Also, being stuck in a car with three people is stressful, especially since I got used to being alone so much.
Ton seems to sing along with every song the radio plays. Not that he knows every tune, he just kind of hums along with it.. loudly.
Mom is never comfortable in the car. It's either too warm, too windy, too rocky, we're going too fast to take pictures or driving too slow up the slopes. They're putting my patience to the test.
Then finally, the blue Motel 6 signs welcomes us in the town of Williams. This is where we will be staying the night. There's no wireless internet in this hotel. The idea alone horrifies my Mom, who is anonymously addicted to e-mails.
I have to admit I am too. That's why I'm now sitting in a local coffee place - not a Starbucks - in downtown Williams, having a strawberry Smoothie that's way too icy for the chilly temperature here. At least I can blog and e-mail you guys.
Tomorrow, we will drive another 60 miles heading North for the South Rim Entrance of the Grand Canyon National Park. Check back for pictures !
As we make our way through the vast desert, all we see are shrubs, rocks and the road ahead of us. It is beautiful and daunting at the same time - this truly is an endless road.
It's even sort of scary once you can't see anyone else driving on the same road as you and there's no one around for miles and miles.. what a difference compared to LA !
I can't help but wonder.. what if one of our tires goes flat ? Or the engine overheats and we're stranded in the middle of nowhere. No cell phone reception (T-mobile sucks btw), no car in sight, no towing service nearby. I'm actually glad I decided not to drive the '94 Plymouth from West to East.
Once we drive out of the Coachella Valley and leave the desert plains are behind us, we see more greenery popping out of the ground. What are those things again ? Oh right, trees !
These lands are abundant in farms and little towns that have nothing more than a saloon, a church, a grocery store and some houses. We even see some people walking around. Real hill-billies, wearing Stetson hats, cowboy boots and lumberjack shirts. Pick up trucks seem to be getting bigger and bolder with every town. Dirtier too.
In the distance, dark gray clouds float over the plains. It's an amazing thing when you're able to see rain falling from afar. A rainy mist, curling like a curtain, covering the distant horizon. Here and there, streaks of sunlight break through the clouds.
The last 50 miles are always the hardest. At this point, my foot lays heavy on the pedal: we're doing 85 where the speed limit posts 75. Also, being stuck in a car with three people is stressful, especially since I got used to being alone so much.
Ton seems to sing along with every song the radio plays. Not that he knows every tune, he just kind of hums along with it.. loudly.
Mom is never comfortable in the car. It's either too warm, too windy, too rocky, we're going too fast to take pictures or driving too slow up the slopes. They're putting my patience to the test.
Then finally, the blue Motel 6 signs welcomes us in the town of Williams. This is where we will be staying the night. There's no wireless internet in this hotel. The idea alone horrifies my Mom, who is anonymously addicted to e-mails.
I have to admit I am too. That's why I'm now sitting in a local coffee place - not a Starbucks - in downtown Williams, having a strawberry Smoothie that's way too icy for the chilly temperature here. At least I can blog and e-mail you guys.
Tomorrow, we will drive another 60 miles heading North for the South Rim Entrance of the Grand Canyon National Park. Check back for pictures !
Monday, May 5, 2008
Joshua Tree National Park
JTNP is an amazing stretch of desert on the edge of the big San Andreas fault near Palm Springs. It's the home of the Joshua Tree, a tree-like cactus that grows only in this part of the world. You can also find a lot of strange looking rocks here. That seems boring at first, but if you know what those rocks are, it's really amazing: these are remnants of the forming of mountains. These rocks used to be lava, turned into stone by oxygen.
Driving through this part of the desert feels like being warped onto another planet in another dimension. At some point, you can easily imagine seeing dinosaurs crossing the land or giant flying birds zooming over your head. This place is amazing.
The beauty of the flowering cacti, the reddish rocks that stand out to a deep blue sky, the form of the Joshua trees and the vast views.. it makes you forget you're standing in the middle of a scorching desert.
We even got to see a coyote. He strolled over the road and looked at our car with eyes that said "intruders"!
Of course, Mom felt like she was an Native Indian again, gazing out in the valley and standing on top of the mountain. Ton had fun yelling to the rocks, hearing his echo talk back to him. And me, I WAS just there. Taking in every bit of color, every moment of silence, feeling the sun in my face and the cool breeze coming from the plains. To me, All time was lost.
Enjoy the pictures :
Driving through this part of the desert feels like being warped onto another planet in another dimension. At some point, you can easily imagine seeing dinosaurs crossing the land or giant flying birds zooming over your head. This place is amazing.
The beauty of the flowering cacti, the reddish rocks that stand out to a deep blue sky, the form of the Joshua trees and the vast views.. it makes you forget you're standing in the middle of a scorching desert.
We even got to see a coyote. He strolled over the road and looked at our car with eyes that said "intruders"!
Of course, Mom felt like she was an Native Indian again, gazing out in the valley and standing on top of the mountain. Ton had fun yelling to the rocks, hearing his echo talk back to him. And me, I WAS just there. Taking in every bit of color, every moment of silence, feeling the sun in my face and the cool breeze coming from the plains. To me, All time was lost.
Enjoy the pictures :
Sunday, May 4, 2008
The Queen Mary - Long Beach - day 6
The Queen Mary is a British ship that resembles the structure of the Titanic, though slightly smaller. Still, this is a large vessel that looks impressive. The ship was used between the 1920's until the 60's for commercial transatlantic traveling. For many immigrants, this was the gate to the promised land.
The QM still hasn't lost it charm. The rooms have been remodeled into hotel rooms, but the rest of the structured remained intact. You get the feel of how it must have been traveling three to 5 days over the Atlantic on this big ship. Despite the rocky surface of the ocean, the ship seemed to have a steady course throughout it's journey. Actually, the accommodation of the ship was quite comfortable: you had a bar, shopping stores, a spa, the rooms were cozy, the bar inviting and you even had a gymnasium and outdoor entertainment.
For me, the ship reminded me most of the Titanic. I'd like to believe that some parts of the movie were also shot here but I'm not sure of that. Still, if you look at the pictures, I'm pretty sure you will get the same idea:
PS: the last few pictures were taking in and around the El Segundo High School, a film location for many movie and TV productions.
The QM still hasn't lost it charm. The rooms have been remodeled into hotel rooms, but the rest of the structured remained intact. You get the feel of how it must have been traveling three to 5 days over the Atlantic on this big ship. Despite the rocky surface of the ocean, the ship seemed to have a steady course throughout it's journey. Actually, the accommodation of the ship was quite comfortable: you had a bar, shopping stores, a spa, the rooms were cozy, the bar inviting and you even had a gymnasium and outdoor entertainment.
For me, the ship reminded me most of the Titanic. I'd like to believe that some parts of the movie were also shot here but I'm not sure of that. Still, if you look at the pictures, I'm pretty sure you will get the same idea:
PS: the last few pictures were taking in and around the El Segundo High School, a film location for many movie and TV productions.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Along the coast - Santa Barbara & Malibu - Day 5
Today has been the day that I needed a "time out". We drove for two hours to Santa Barbara, I dropped Mom and Ton off at historic downtown Santa Barbara and headed straight for the deep green grass along the pier. I folded out my beach towel and leaned against one of the palm trees, enjoying the cool breeze coming from the ocean. A moment that lasted forever.
You can read all about Santa Barbara in this previous blog.
After SB, we headed for the beaches of Malibu. The drive down there is amazing. Red and brown cliffs loom over the PCH that winds along the coast line. Big waves break and leave stretches of foam on the water. Surfers trying to catch the biggest waves..
We relaxed on Zuma beach for about an hour, returned to El Segundo for a quick bite and went to sleep. It seems like all I do is relax and sleep, isn't it.
A few more days and our journey continues. I'm really looking forward to start driving through those beautiful national parks.
I know, this is a pretty lame report of my day, but at least you get to see some pictures:
You can read all about Santa Barbara in this previous blog.
After SB, we headed for the beaches of Malibu. The drive down there is amazing. Red and brown cliffs loom over the PCH that winds along the coast line. Big waves break and leave stretches of foam on the water. Surfers trying to catch the biggest waves..
We relaxed on Zuma beach for about an hour, returned to El Segundo for a quick bite and went to sleep. It seems like all I do is relax and sleep, isn't it.
A few more days and our journey continues. I'm really looking forward to start driving through those beautiful national parks.
I know, this is a pretty lame report of my day, but at least you get to see some pictures:
Friday, May 2, 2008
From East to West - A day in LA - Day 4
Our alarm clock went off early this morning: we had a long day ahead of us. We jumped into our white Pontiac and took Highway 110 along downtown LA. I had so much fun using the carpool lane for the first time. In LA, as an effort to unclog the road, the highways have designated car pool lanes for cars that have two or more people in them. Unfortunately, a lot of people in LA still drive a big car to work, and they use it just for them selves. They drive big trucks, Vans, or Hummers. Silly isn't it? The carpool lane is usually almost completely empty.. and so we could avoid all the traffic jams on our way to Griffith Park.
It was still kinda hazy up there. We could see Downtown LA sprouting in the distance. And I managed to point out the road that we would be taking that day.
Our next stop was Hollywood Boulevard. The day before yesterday, the intersection of Hollywood and Vine was closed off due to a fire that burned down a night club. Luckily, it was all cleared again and we soon arrived in downtown Hollywood. Not much to see there except for the stars in the pavement, Mann's Chinese Theater and the Kodak Theater. Also the mall of Hollywood and Highland is nicely built, with giant elephants and a real 'Arc de Triumph". Enniewho, I won't write much more about Hollywood, look for a previous blog here.
We continued our "road of discovery" on Sunset, making our way to the Sunset strip. From there, Doheny takes us right into Beverly Hills. Ton and Mom were amazed at the beauty and richness of Rodeo Drive. To me, it's still beautiful but it's kinda sad to realize that you get used even to this kind of thing.
We stopped in the Beverly Center, the celebrity mall in Beverly Hills, for a quick bite. I had a big plate of greasy Chinese food : fried orange chicken, grilled chicken and a lot of noodles with veggies. Bring on the carbs !
From here, we drove back to Sunset and passed the Bel Air estates, crossed the 405 and ended up in Lake Shrine, the spiritual temple of Yogananda.
I realized today that this would be my last day driving through LA with the feeling that this is where I live. It feels so cool to know your way around here. We were sitting in a bar in Santa Monica today and a woman came up to me asking me if I knew where the nearest mobile shop on Wilshire blvd in Santa Monica was. I was proud to be able to direct here in the right way and to recommend a taxi since it was still about 10 blocks away.
Yet, from now on, I'm a tourist again, just like every other European visiting LA.
Still, having a Californian driver's license has many advantages. People know that you know. Airlines don't bother you with strict passport checks. And renting cars is so much easier.
Speaking of renting cars; we headed out tonight to pick up our new car for the big tour. It was a lot less pricey than the other reservation.. and Mom was able to use here regular credit card again. Yay !
Oh, I did put some pictures up from their flight yesterday, so you might want to scroll down to the previous blog and look for the slide show. You can also click on it to go to the album and see the pictures in a large format.
Here are the pictures of today:
Now that I have company, I finally show up in a picture every once a while. Well, maybe that is not such a good thing after all. :-)
Tomorrow : a visit to Santa Barbara and Malibu.
It was still kinda hazy up there. We could see Downtown LA sprouting in the distance. And I managed to point out the road that we would be taking that day.
Our next stop was Hollywood Boulevard. The day before yesterday, the intersection of Hollywood and Vine was closed off due to a fire that burned down a night club. Luckily, it was all cleared again and we soon arrived in downtown Hollywood. Not much to see there except for the stars in the pavement, Mann's Chinese Theater and the Kodak Theater. Also the mall of Hollywood and Highland is nicely built, with giant elephants and a real 'Arc de Triumph". Enniewho, I won't write much more about Hollywood, look for a previous blog here.
We continued our "road of discovery" on Sunset, making our way to the Sunset strip. From there, Doheny takes us right into Beverly Hills. Ton and Mom were amazed at the beauty and richness of Rodeo Drive. To me, it's still beautiful but it's kinda sad to realize that you get used even to this kind of thing.
We stopped in the Beverly Center, the celebrity mall in Beverly Hills, for a quick bite. I had a big plate of greasy Chinese food : fried orange chicken, grilled chicken and a lot of noodles with veggies. Bring on the carbs !
From here, we drove back to Sunset and passed the Bel Air estates, crossed the 405 and ended up in Lake Shrine, the spiritual temple of Yogananda.
I realized today that this would be my last day driving through LA with the feeling that this is where I live. It feels so cool to know your way around here. We were sitting in a bar in Santa Monica today and a woman came up to me asking me if I knew where the nearest mobile shop on Wilshire blvd in Santa Monica was. I was proud to be able to direct here in the right way and to recommend a taxi since it was still about 10 blocks away.
Yet, from now on, I'm a tourist again, just like every other European visiting LA.
Still, having a Californian driver's license has many advantages. People know that you know. Airlines don't bother you with strict passport checks. And renting cars is so much easier.
Speaking of renting cars; we headed out tonight to pick up our new car for the big tour. It was a lot less pricey than the other reservation.. and Mom was able to use here regular credit card again. Yay !
Oh, I did put some pictures up from their flight yesterday, so you might want to scroll down to the previous blog and look for the slide show. You can also click on it to go to the album and see the pictures in a large format.
Here are the pictures of today:
Now that I have company, I finally show up in a picture every once a while. Well, maybe that is not such a good thing after all. :-)
Tomorrow : a visit to Santa Barbara and Malibu.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Universal Studio's - Movie Capitol of LA - Day 3
After making 2 waffles and stuffing bread and jam into our bag, we headed out for what was going to be a long and fun day.
I was excited to show my Mom and Ton the place where I have worked. Finally someone to share this with. The theme park was fun as ever. I had done the studio tour a million of times before, so I knew exactly what to expect. They loved it.
The Mummy roller coaster ride and the Jurassic Park ride was my favorite part of the day. They take you at thrilling speeds through magical places like mummy caves and dinosaur jungles.. I'm not telling more about the park itself 'cause I wrote a blog about it long ago.
At night, we walked up and down the city walk and went to iFly Hollywood ! Ton immediately wanted to fly, but Mom seemed to have a headache. But, after she saw the instruction video she wanted to fly too. I was lucky to get both of them to fly them twice for free. What a great gift !
And they were amazing. I'm telling you, I sorta know now how it feels to see your kids flying while you're out there taking pictures. Seeing your Mom fly is kinda special. She was the first to go in and after she got her bearings a bit she did excellent. She was stable, held her hands right, her chin up and there she was, flying in front of me, smiling but with an expression in her eyes that said, wauw, this is amazing. And the instructor gave kissing signals with his hands, telling her that she's doing a great job.
Then it was Ton's turn. Of course, he's a bigger person, so they had to jack the wind up a little. His first flight was kinda rocky, even though he held his legs straight and seemed to hold his body still. The instructor had to hold on to him a few times and when he pushed Ton sideways toward me to take a picture of him, I saw in his eyes that he too was having the time of his live.
The second time they went in, the instructor took them high up the tube. I love it when they do this. They fly like superman and take them all the way up and down again, so it feels even more like you're falling in the wind. Mom's eyes went from 'hey, I can do this', to 'OH MY GOOOD !"
Of course, Ton already knew what to expect his second time around. He had jumped in like it was a pool and he was on fire. The instructor took him way up and Ton practically had a skydiving orgasm.
After their flight, both of them looked frazzled but kinda stoned too. Mom's headache was gone. When we went for dinner at Bubba Gump, they still were high on adrenaline. No need to tell you that we had a great night. The waitress loved us so much that she stopped waiting for a few minutes and came to sit next to me for a chat. I love this country. :-)
We got back home around 9:30 PM and went straight to bed. We were pooped.
Tomorrow, the big LA day : Traveling from East to West and seeing all of the famous LA highlights !
I was excited to show my Mom and Ton the place where I have worked. Finally someone to share this with. The theme park was fun as ever. I had done the studio tour a million of times before, so I knew exactly what to expect. They loved it.
The Mummy roller coaster ride and the Jurassic Park ride was my favorite part of the day. They take you at thrilling speeds through magical places like mummy caves and dinosaur jungles.. I'm not telling more about the park itself 'cause I wrote a blog about it long ago.
At night, we walked up and down the city walk and went to iFly Hollywood ! Ton immediately wanted to fly, but Mom seemed to have a headache. But, after she saw the instruction video she wanted to fly too. I was lucky to get both of them to fly them twice for free. What a great gift !
And they were amazing. I'm telling you, I sorta know now how it feels to see your kids flying while you're out there taking pictures. Seeing your Mom fly is kinda special. She was the first to go in and after she got her bearings a bit she did excellent. She was stable, held her hands right, her chin up and there she was, flying in front of me, smiling but with an expression in her eyes that said, wauw, this is amazing. And the instructor gave kissing signals with his hands, telling her that she's doing a great job.
Then it was Ton's turn. Of course, he's a bigger person, so they had to jack the wind up a little. His first flight was kinda rocky, even though he held his legs straight and seemed to hold his body still. The instructor had to hold on to him a few times and when he pushed Ton sideways toward me to take a picture of him, I saw in his eyes that he too was having the time of his live.
The second time they went in, the instructor took them high up the tube. I love it when they do this. They fly like superman and take them all the way up and down again, so it feels even more like you're falling in the wind. Mom's eyes went from 'hey, I can do this', to 'OH MY GOOOD !"
Of course, Ton already knew what to expect his second time around. He had jumped in like it was a pool and he was on fire. The instructor took him way up and Ton practically had a skydiving orgasm.
After their flight, both of them looked frazzled but kinda stoned too. Mom's headache was gone. When we went for dinner at Bubba Gump, they still were high on adrenaline. No need to tell you that we had a great night. The waitress loved us so much that she stopped waiting for a few minutes and came to sit next to me for a chat. I love this country. :-)
We got back home around 9:30 PM and went straight to bed. We were pooped.
Tomorrow, the big LA day : Traveling from East to West and seeing all of the famous LA highlights !
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